Council fear they will lose planning fee income if new national park goes ahead

Elgan Hearn – Local democracy reporter

Concerns about losing money made from planning application fees is part of a council’s consultation response on setting up a new national park in Northeast Wales.

Last year the Welsh Government asked Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to investigate setting up a national park based around the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Parts of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham county and Powys would be in the park.

The consultation is the second phase in the process.

Implications

In December last year Powys councillors voted to oppose the national park’s creation which would a see huge swathe of the county, including Llanfyllin, Meifod and Lake Vyrnwy be part of it.

A decision on the consultation response by Powys planners is set to be made by cabinet member for planning, Liberal Democrat, Cllr Jake Berriman on Thursday, December 5.

The  response has been written by the council’s professional planning leader Peter Morris who explains that the comments are based on three themes which are: people, communities and economy, wildlife, agriculture and land management, and environment and sustainability.

Mr Morris also stresses the implications the national park would have on the council’s planning department which is currently in the process of producing a new Local Development Plan.

‘Unacceptable’

Mr Morris said: “Clarity over future responsibilities and statutory duties in the delivery of planning services is essential should designation proceed.

“Powys already includes a large area of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and a small area of Eryri National Park.”

Mr Morris believed that the national park designation would  “restrict” the types of development such as mineral extraction or large scale renewable energy projects.

Mr Morris said: “The loss of planning application fees, including pre-application fees, to the local authority would also be unacceptable.”

Mr Morris adds that the area of Powys under consideration is “improved farmland or planted forestry”.

Beauty

Mr Morris said: “It is not clear which aspects of natural beauty are being used as a basis for identifying this area.”

Cllr Berriman has already joined the chorus of Powys politicians who are set against the national park, and has posted his own consultation submission on social media.

Cllr Berriman believes that the legal process to designate a national park is in itself  “limited, flawed and anachronistic”.

Mr Berriman said: “A national park is seen by the majority of those that live and work here, as a barrier to new flexible approaches that support local initiatives and indigenous growth.

“A new park is seen as a luxury that can be ill-afforded with a loss of planning income and an additional precept falling on Powys council.

“I would caution against progressing a national park designation that crosses the administrative boundary into Powys, as it will, I am sure, be contested at every stage.”

But there are many supporters of the new national park proposal.

Landscapes

Led by Campaign for National Parks (CNP) a joint statement has been signed by 18 organisations including the Alliance for Welsh Designated Landscapes, RSPB Cymru, WWF and National Trust, supporting the proposal.

Senior  CNP policy officer Gareth Ludkin, said:  “We welcome proposals and believe this is a once in a generation opportunity for Wales to create a truly exemplar national park that leads the way for the rest of the UK.

“We want to see a new national park which can tackle the dual climate and nature crises of today whilst also taking hold of the opportunity to build resilient communities, manage visitor pressures and innovate for the future health and wellbeing of Wales and the UK.”

Caroline Conway from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to model the way we would like to see all designated landscapes managed and can act as a bridgehead to further expansion of existing national parks and national landscapes.”

Friends of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley chairman, Martyn Holland said:  “We are keen to see the opportunity taken to enhance and protect the special landscape in our area, with biodiversity and nature recovery to the fore.”

“We welcome the emphasis that this must be done whilst maintaining the resilience and sustainability of local communities.”

The 10 week consultation ends on Monday, December 16.

To have your say visit here.